Genie Turton, the ODPM's director general of housing, planning and homelessness, will step down in May after 25 years in the civil service. The job title will remain but it's likely that Richard McCarthy, the new king of sustainable communities and ex-Peabody supremo, will extend his empire by taking on some of Turton's responsibilities. These would include the Housing Corporation, joining English Partnerships in his stable of quangos.
Over at the corporation, chief executive Dr Norman Perry will be off in March. Neil Hadden, Simon Dow and David Cowans have all been suggested as replacements, although others believe the job will go to an "unknown" instead. New chair Peter Dixon, himself appointed from outside the world of housing, has his eye on a couple of people from the health sector.
The chosen person will be a big pointer as to the future of the corporation: if he or she is a big hitter, such as an NHS trust chief executive, then expect big things from the corporation later in the year; if a middle-ranking bureaucrat from within the civil service is tapped instead, the corporation – in its present form at any rate – will not be long for this world.
Stephen Howlett, formerly chief executive of Amicus, starts at major registered social landlord the Peabody Trust, replacing Richard McCarthy in March. After having its fingers burned with prefab and the shock decision to make 51 development staff redundant last month, there will be far fewer high-profile developments for the organisation as it returns to its roots as a provider of housing for London's poor.
Source
Housing Today
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